• Faith: Scientology
• Career: Actor
• Birthday:  February 18, 1954

John Travolta is an actor, singer and dancer best known for starring in some of the most recognizable films of the 1970s and for staging a major career comeback with “Pulp Fiction” in the 1990s. His best-known movies include “Saturday Night Fever,” “Grease,” “Urban Cowboy,” “Look Who’s Talking,” “Get Shorty,” “Face/Off” and “Hairspray.” Over a career spanning more than five decades, Travolta has earned two Academy Award nominations and multiple Golden Globe nominations.

John Joseph Travolta was born February 18, 1954, in Englewood, New Jersey. He was the youngest of six children born to Salvatore Travolta, a tire salesman and former semi-professional football player, and Helen Cecilia Burke Travolta, an actress, singer and teacher. Performing was a major part of family life, and several of Travolta’s siblings also pursued careers in entertainment.

Travolta was raised in a Roman Catholic household and attended Dwight Morrow High School but left school as a teenager to pursue acting professionally. He moved to New York City, where he found work in theater and commercials. His early stage credits included the touring company of “Grease” and the Broadway musical “Over Here!” He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue television and film roles.

Travolta’s breakthrough came in 1975 when he was cast as Vinnie Barbarino on the ABC sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter.” The role made him a television star and teen idol. He soon moved into movies, appearing in “The Devil’s Rain” and Brian De Palma’s “Carrie.”

His career reached another level with 1977’s “Saturday Night Fever.” Travolta’s performance as Tony Manero earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and helped make him one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. A year later, he starred opposite Olivia Newton-John as Danny Zuko in “Grease,” which became one of the most successful movie musicals of its era. He followed with films including “Urban Cowboy” and “Staying Alive.”

Travolta’s career slowed during much of the 1980s, although he found renewed commercial success with the “Look Who’s Talking” films. His biggest comeback came in 1994 when director Quentin Tarantino cast him as Vincent Vega in “Pulp Fiction.” The performance earned Travolta a second Academy Award nomination and revitalized his career. He followed with successful films including “Get Shorty,” “Broken Arrow,” “Phenomenon,” “Face/Off,” “Primary Colors” and “The General’s Daughter.” Later projects included “Swordfish,” “Ladder 49,” “Wild Hogs,” “Hairspray” and “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”

Travolta married actress Kelly Preston in 1991 after the two met while working on the film “The Experts.” They had three children: Jett, Ella Bleu and Benjamin. Their oldest son, Jett, died at age 16 in January 2009 after suffering a seizure while the family was vacationing in the Bahamas. Travolta and Preston welcomed Benjamin the following year.

Preston died in July 2020 at age 57 following a two-year battle with breast cancer, ending the couple’s nearly 29-year marriage. Travolta has continued to speak publicly about his love for Preston and his children. Outside acting, he is an accomplished pilot and longtime aviation enthusiast who has owned and flown several aircraft.

John Travolta's Religious Beliefs

Travolta was raised Roman Catholic but became a member of the Church of Scientology in 1975. While filming “The Devil’s Rain,” a fellow cast member gave him a copy of “Dianetics,” the 1950 book by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Travolta began studying Scientology and has remained one of the church’s most prominent celebrity members.

Scientology teaches that humans are immortal spiritual beings and emphasizes practices intended to increase spiritual awareness and ability. Travolta has said he values the practical techniques he believes the religion provides for dealing with stress, pain and other difficulties.

Travolta has repeatedly credited Scientology with helping him navigate difficult periods in his life. In a 2013 interview, he said the religion had helped him through numerous personal losses and that he did not believe he would be where he was without it. He has also said Scientology was especially important following Jett’s death, describing the church as a source of support during his grief.

Despite decades of public criticism and controversy surrounding the Church of Scientology, Travolta has consistently defended his faith and described his own experience with the religion in positive terms.